Dispensing box



se t. '27, 193s.

' H; HL. WILSON DISPENS ING BOX Fil ed Aug. 23, 1957' Patented Sept. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to boxes for holding tablets, or the like, and for dispensing them one at a time. It relates particularly to a box for holding fiat cylindrical tablets, as of certain forms of medicine, and to means in connection with the box,

by which the tablets may be withdrawn through a shutter or gate which effects the withdrawal of the tablets one at a time.

Dispensing boxes have been proposed which have an arcuate shutter having features somewhat the type here proposed, but to secure the full size of opening necessary to allow discharge, these shutters having been substantially semi-circular and have protruded beyond the box contour,

making an objectionable protrusion, but more ob-' jectionably leaving a corresponding excess area within the box which is fatally objectionable for fragile products during shipment and other handling of the boxes prior to their sale. In addition, means for attaching the shutter to the box have been expensive and have introduced obstruction to the movement of the articles into the shutter and the closure efiected has been more or less incomplete.

The objects of the invention are to provide an attractive form of box, in which the tablets may be packed and marketed and which will include simple, practical and efficient means by which the tablets may be easily and quickly discharged one by one from the box.

A further object is to provide a box having a tablet discharging device mounted therein, which device is adapted for discharging tablets one at a time, as the result of a simple manipulation, and

which discharging device in general completes the contour of the box and yet provides a closure for 50 the other, in making the attachment members and openings.

'The means by which the foregoing and other objects are accomplished will readily be under- Stood from the following specification, on refer- 55 ence to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the box with the cover removed and with the egress shutter closed.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the shutter open for the discharge of the tablet from the box. 7

Fig. 3 is an end view of the box showing a frag 5 mentary portion of a cover therefor, thecover being open.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the box with the cover closed.

Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the box with the 10 shutter in open position.

Fig. -6 is an enlarged sectional plan of one corner of the box with the shutter closed, the section being taken on the line VI-VI of Figs. 4 I and'l. 15

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of the same corner portion of the box.

Fig. 8 is a similarly enlarged sectional elevation taken as on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 2, with the shutter in open position and with the 20 shutter attaching lugsas they appear before they are bent back to complete the attachment.

Referring now to the drawing, in which the various parts are indicated by numerals:

The box, which may be of tin or other material, 25

includes a bottom I 0, and an integral side and end wall II, a portion of which Wall is cut away at one corner to receive aclosure shutter, the

opening thus formed being ample to permit discharge of the box content. This closure-shutter '30;

comprises a base portion 12, having an integral,

generallyarcuate wall l3 extending upward therefrom and terminating flush with the top of the Wall ll of the box, this shutter wall forming the closure for the cut-away portion of the box wall. 36

Reference to Fig. 6 shows a quadrant of the shutter-wall I3 as circular, the exterior and interior radius of this quadrant conforming to the similar radius of the other three corners of box,

and the center A of the quadrant being the center 40* of rotation of the shutter. From one end of the quadrant, an arcuate wall extension B, having the same radius as the quadrant, and having an offset center C, extends, this extension being sufiicient to overlap one end of the box wall H ad- 451 jacent the opening, and the radius shift being sufiicient to cause the exterior of the extension to contact theinterior of the end and efiect a closure. From the opposite end of the quadrant,

the wall I3 has a tangential extension D, and an outwardly extending portion forming a lug E for the manipulation of the shutter, contact of the lug with the opposite end of the wall I l completing the closure. Preferably the lug E1 is looped or bent inward, terminating in a portion F which passes inside the wall II and frictionally engages the wall end to minimize undesired shifting of the shutter. The inner edge G of the base I2 is concentric with the center A and its radius preferably that of the path along which the outer end of the extension B moves. The box bottom I0 is depressed at H to receive the shutter bottom I2, in order that the two will be flush and present no obstruction to egress of the tablets.

To secure the shutter structure to the box two lugs M are cut from the bottom [2 of the shutter and bent downward at right angles, l5 being openings left in the shutter bottom 12, these openings extending diametrically away from a solid center portion IS. A circular hole I! is cut in the box bottom ll) of a size to encompass the lugs I4. The shutter is placed in the depression H of the box, with the lugs M depending through the hole H and their ends bent outward and against the box bottom to complete attachment. When so attached the solid portion E6 of the shutter bottom between the openings l5 substantially entirely overlies the hole I! in the box bottom I and in turn the box bottom underlies the openings I5.

20 is the cover for the box, this cover being of usual or desired design and its detail or attachment being unimportant in the present structure. However, a portion of the rim 2! of the cover is cut away at 22 to permit shift of the shutter lug E.

It will be understood that the shutter structure and the attaching means therefor are not inherently interdependent, but may be used either with another form of the other.

Operation In use, the box with the shutter closed is ordinarily filled with tablets at the factory, one of these tablets overlying the bottom l2 of the shut- ,ter, and the cover 20 closed.

The user moves the lug E in the only direction it will shift, turning it to the position shown in Fig, 2, in which the shutter is fully open for discharge of one tablet, and closed against additional tablets. After discharge the shutter must be closed to allow discharge positioning of a second tablet, but if left open an additional tablet can not discharge. After shutter closure the box is turned so that the shutter corner is low and a second tablet slides into the shutter, whereby subsequent opening of the shutter will discharge it.

I claim:

1. A dispensing container as for cylindrical objects, said container having a top, a bottom and side and end walls; a said side wall, and a said end wall intersecting said side wall, being cut away attheir intersection, the end portions of said walls being spaced apart to form a discharge opening; a closure shutter for said opening, said shutter including a base and an integral wall extending upward therefrom to substantially the height of said container wall, and means for pivotally attaching said shutter base to said container bottom; said shutter wall including a quadrant concentric with said pivot means, an arcuate extension from one end of said quadrant, of increasing distance from said center, adapted to extend within and contact a said wall end portion;

and a longitudinal extension from the other end of said quadrant, said latter extension terminating inan outwardly extending lug adapted to contact the end of the other said wall end portion.

2. A dispensing container as for cylindrical objects, said container having a top, a bottom, and side and end walls; a said side wall, and a said end wall intersecting said side wall, being cut away at their intersection, the end portions of said walls being spaced apart to form a discharge opening; a closure shutter for said opening, said shutter including a base and an integral wall extending upward therefrom to substantially the height of said container wall, and means for pivotally attaching said shutter base to said container bottom; said shutter wall including a quadrant concentric with said pivot means, an arcuate extension from one end of said quadrant, adapted to extend within and contact a said wall end portion; and a longitudinal extension from the other end of said quadrant, said latter extension terminating in an outwardly extending lug and being adapted to contact the end of the other said wall end portion, said pivot being positioned to align the opposite ends of said quadrant with said side and end walls.

3. A dispensing container as for cylindrical objects, said container having a top, a bottom, and side and end walls; a said side wall, and a said end wall intersecting said side wall, being cut away at their intersection, the end portions of said walls being spaced apart to form a dischargev opening; a closure shutter for said opening, said shutter including a base and an integral wall extending upward therefrom to substantially the height of said container wall, and means for pivotally attaching said shutter base to said container bottom; said shutter wall including a quadrant concentric with said pivot means, an arcuate extension from one end of said quadrant, adapted to extend within and contact a said wall end por tion; and a longitudinal extension from the other end of said quadrant, said latter extension terminating in an outwardly extending lug adapted to contact the end of the other said wall end portion, said lug having a reentrant portion adapted to pass and frictionally engage the end or" said other wall end.

4. In a dispensing container, a box having a bottom, and side and end walls, said side and end walls being cut away at one corner to form a' dispensing opening, a shutter adapted to be moved to open or close said Wall opening, said shutter including a base overlying a portion of said box bottom, and means for pivotally attaching said shutter and box, said means comprising a circular opening formed in said bottom, and a pair of spaced lugs cut .and bent downwardly from said base, said lugs being passed through said bottom opening and bent outwardly to underlie said bottom outwardly from said opening, whereby a solid portion of said base will overlie 'said opening in said bottom and solid portions of said'bottom will underlie said openings in said base.

HARRY L. WILSON. 

